Nut-feeding mechanism.



No. 884,211. Y PATENTED APR. 7,1908.

R.J.RODD. NUT FEEDING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 0052.14. 1905..

- downward continuation of the wall a.

ROBERT J. RODD, OF CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO.

NUT-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented i ru 7, 1908.

Application filed October 14, 1905. Serial No. 282,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. Ronn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cuyahoga Falls, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain matically su ply nut-blanks to a nut tapping B to the frame of that machine.

machine as ast as they are required by that machine,-a nd to do this with a simple and inexpensive mechanism which will maintain a continuous supply and is not liable to get out of order.

The invention may be summarized as consisting in the combinations of parts hereinafter described and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the dr wing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my vention and so much of the nut tapping machine" to which it is secured as is nece'ssar for the understanding of the purpose an operation of the present invention.

ig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanlsm when the part a of the hopper is removed. Fig. 3 is a front view with the bearing of the rock-shaft D, and parts adjacent thereto, in section. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the mechanism; Fig. 5 is a detached view of the lifter; showing the reverse'side to that which is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 5. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are respectively transverse sectional views of the twisted conveyor spout in planes indicated by lines 77, 88 and 99.

A represents a hopper which is fixed in roper relation to the nut tapping machine F, of which only a part is shown. Preferably the hopper is secured by bracket arms In the hop er is a substantially vertical plane wall a, w lqich is referably one of the sides of the hopper. T e other three sides of the hopper conver e toward the bottom of this plane wall. in the bottom of the hopper is a well 0, which is in the form of a relatively long narrow slot, and extends through the front end of thehopper. One side of this well i? a ts oppo'site parallel side is formed by a flange 0. which extends downward from the bottom of the ho per.

In t e specific construction shown, the hopper is formed of four pieces,

to wit, the

vertical wall plate a, the art a which forms the other three sides an the bottom of the hopper, and two distance pieces of, a". These distance pieces are equal 1n thickness to the width of the well, and they are secured by bolts between the two parts-a, a end of the rear distance iece of forms also the rear wall of the wel ,-said wall bein curved in a circular arc of which the axis 0 the rock shaft D is the center. This rock shaft is mounted in bearings 05, of, with its axis at ri ht angles to the inner face of the wall a. t crosses the upper front end of the well C, and extends through the wall a. The lifter E lies a ainst the wall a, and its hub e embraces an is secured to this shaft. The lifter extends into the hop er, and its thickness is substantially equa to the width of the well; its length is such that its free end, which is arc-shaped, is close to the lower front end of the distance piece a and its width, from top to bottom, issuch that, whatever may be its position due to the rocking of the rock shaft, it will ro'ect into the well C and prevent the nut b ian s from fall.- ing through. The other distance iece a is secured between the front ends 0 the two ho per sections a, a above but close to the hub of the lifter.

The front side thereof which is next to the wall a, is a "rabbeted groove 6 which extends chord-like across the hub e and almost but not quite to the free end of the lifter. The to edge of the free end of the lifter is curve u ward slightly, as shown at e so that it may lift the nut blanks out of the way. The

roove does not extend quite to this free end ecause, if it did, some of the nut blanks in the groove could slip out of this end when etter the lifter had been swung downward. The

width of the groove e is a trifle reater than the thickness of a nut blank, an its depth is sufficient to enable it to satisfactorily guide nut blanks which rest on edge therein. This groove,. together with the wall 0., forms a channel into which the nut blanks can enter when in one 1position onl viz., on edge. The top ed e e o the lifter b ade is beveled downward rom the edge of the groove 6, so that it will afford very little su port for any nut blanks except those-in sai groove.

In the lower ed e of the distance piece a is a groove 11. whic is directly over that art of the groove e which extends across the ub of the lifter.

' in Fig. 2.

. tion r0 A downwardly inclined conveyer G is provided with a channel g of such size that nut blanks may slide downward therein, but may not be removed therefrom. This conveyor is' secured in such a position that the upper end of its channelcommunicates withthe channel formed by the groove e when the lifter is in its elevated position, wherefore nut blanks sliding down in the groove 6 will be discharged directly into the channel g. The lower end of the conveyer G is continued to a oint where it will deliver the nut blanks to t e nut tapping mechanism. The conveyer is twisted a quarter turn between its upper and lower ends so that the nuts as they travel downward will be turned from the position in which their holes are horizontal to the position in which their holes are vertical,-in which latter position they must be delivered to the particular nut tapping machine shown.

When the mechanism is operated the rock shaft is oscillated, to first swing the lifter downward so that its top edge is below the hopper bottom and in the well 0, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. When it is in this position, the nut blanks fall into the well upon the lifter. Some of them will find t eir way into the groove e. Then the rock sha t turns in the opposite direction, swinging the lifter upward so that its to edge is inc ined from its free end downwar as shown by full lines When in this position the nut blanks will slide down in the groove e out of the hop er and into the upper end of the conveyer 'c 'annel g. Practica 1y no nut blanks, except those which enter the channel in roper position, will find a support upon the lifter, because of its beveled upper edge e Occasionally a nut blank does remain in the wrong position on said lifter, but such blanks will be swept off the lifter when they slide down into contact with the distance piece a. On the projecting end of the rock shaft 'there is an arm (1 on which a bar His suspended. The lower end of this bar passes througha hole in a lever K pivoted to some part of the frame of the nut tapping machine. A weight F may be hung on the lower end of the bar H to assist in rocking the shaft in the direction which carries the lifter down into the well. A spring J surrounds this bar and its upper end engages with a collar fixed thereto. The lower end of this spring is engaged by a collar which is slidable upon the bar, which collar rests upon said lever. The opposite end of the lever carries a fricblanks get packed above or below it as to prevent its movement. Secured to the wall a of the hopper is a stop M, wlth which the er 7c which is engaged by a cam L lifter engages when it has been swung up to that position in which its groove 6 communicates with the channel g. This stop is a necessity when the described cam lever and spring are employed to swing the lifter u ward, because the cam and s ring cannot lEe made and adjusted to give t e exact throw required for the lifter.

I claim 1. In a nut-blank feeding device, the'combination of a hopper containing a substan tially vertical plane wall, with a lifter movable in contact with said plane wall and pivoted on its axis at right angles thereto and having a rabbeted groove on its top edge and along the side thereof which is ad acent to said wall, and mechanism for oscillating the lifter upon its axis.

2. In a nut-blank feeding device, the combination of a hopper containing a substantially vertical plane wall, with a lifter'movable in contact with said plane wall and pivoted on its axis at right angles thereto and having a rabbeted groove on its to edge and along the side thereof which is ad acent to said wall, and having its top edge remote from said wall inclined downwardly and outwardly from the edge of said rabbeted groove, and mechanism for oscillating the lifter upon its axis.

8. A hopper having a substantially vertical plane side, a rockshaft assin through said plane side and mounte at rig t angles thereto, a lifter secured to said rock shaft and projecting into the hopper 'in contact with said plane side, and having a rabbeted groove in 1ts top edge adjacent to said plane side, and means for actuating said rock shaft, substantially as specified.

4:. In a nut-blank feeding device, the combination of a hopper containing a substantially vertical plane wall, a rock shaft passing through said wall and mounted in bearings with its axis at right angles to said wall, a lifter secured to sald rock shaft and projecting into the hopper in contact with said lane wall and having a rabbeted groove on 1ts top surface adjacent to said lane wall, an arm secured to said rock sha t, a lever, its operating mechanism, a spring interposed between said lever and arm for transmitting motion from the lever to the arm to rock said arm in the direction which swings said lifter upward, and a stop secured to the inner face of the vertical hopper-wall for lim iting the upward movement of said lifter.

5. A. hopper consisting of a substantially vertical plate a, a piece a which is provided with three downwardly converging sides and has a downwardly extendedflange a which is parallel with said plate a, and two distance ieces a a, of which the former is secured lietween the rear side of said parts a and a and is extended down between the rear end of said plate a and the downwardly extended I a which is alined with the groove in the flange 01/, a rock shaft mounted in bearings on the front end of the two parts a, a and elevated, substantially as specified.

crossing the space between them, a lifter 6. In a blank-feeding device, in combinasecured to the rock shaft in said space and tion, a hopper having a substantially-verin contact with said plate a and having a tical plane wall, a lifter movable in substanrabbeted groove in its top edge adjacent to tial contact with said wall and recessed along said late,and being of such dimensions the upper edge nearest said wall, yielding that it will project into the well at all times mechanism for raising and lowering said and its free end will substantially contact lifter, and a stop on said wall for limiting the with the lower end of said distance piece,

upward travel of the lifter. the distance piece a being between the two In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my parts a, a above but close to the hub of said signature in the presence of two witnesses. ifter, and having in its lower edge a groove 1 ROBERT J. RODD. Witnesses:

E. B. GILCHRIST, E. L. THURsToN.

lifter, and a downwardly inclined conveyer secured with its upper end in alinement with the groove in the lifter when the lifter is 

